We already shared the news that Jordan Kasteler took home the top prize and had a second entry in our overall list of most read columns for the year, both of which appeared here in the Search & Social column, alongside several other worthy reads.

In 2012, “social signals” became one of the most talked about topics among SEO’s and social media marketers, as the prevalence of Google+ and Bing/Facebook social results have captured our attention.

Yet many feel we’re still very much in the early stages of social signals having a major impact in general search engine results. That should make for an interesting 2013!

Beyond that, there are also other opportunities to optimize your content for both search engines and social media platforms, as our columnists also covered some unique uses of social media in 2012, while sharing successful tactics and tips.

In our book, there’s more to popular content than just being liked, shared or tweeted – we’ve seen significant engagement with the following articles, making them our most read columns in Search & Social for 2012:

1. The Social Search Revolution: 8 Social SEO Strategies To Start Using Right Now - Jordan Kasteler
2. Social Search: Dead On Arrival? Or On Life Support?  - Trond Lyngbø
3. The Hidden Cost Of Cheap SEO & Social Media Labor  -  Jordan Kasteler
4. Why Pinterest Is NOT Your SEO Miracle Worker - Jordan Kasteler
5. Optimize Facebook Open Graph Tags: They Are the 50% - Aaron Friedman
6. How To Improve Site Credibility Through Search & Social Media - Jordan Kasteler
7. Guide To Finding Linkbuilding Targets With Social Media - Jordan Kasteler
8. Helping Or Hurting: The Debate Over Google+ Local - Jordan Kasteler
9. Making Your Site Sticky For Both Search & Social Users - Jordan Kasteler
10. 9 Search & Social KPIs To Start Tracking Right Now - Jordan Kasteler
11. It’s Not WHAT You Need to Go Viral – It’s WHO -Jordan Kasteler
12. Google Search Results Show Some Facebook User Posts Leaking Out Of Walled Garden - Sean Carlos
13. Is Presentation More Important Than Content Itself? - Jordan Kasteler
14. Google+ Growing Your Social Network: Quantity vs. Quality - Aaron Friedman
15. How Social Signals Could Potentially Influence Local Search Results -  Selena Narayanasamy
16. 14 Ideas To Utilize Custom Variables For Search & Social Tracking - Jordan Kasteler
17. 7 Important Digital Assets To Optimize Brand Exposure - Aaron Friedman
18. 6 Ways To Integrate Your On-Site & Social Efforts -  Selena Narayanasamy
19. How To Tweet What You Want, Because Content Matters - Aaron Friedman
20. The Social Funnel: What You Lose When You Ignore It - Jordan Kasteler
21. Take Twitter Campaigns To The Next Level With SEO Data - Jim Yu
22. Why Entity Search Will Be Controlled By Social Media - Aaron Friedman
23. The Double-Edged Sword Of Social Media - Rick DeJarnette
24. Free Things & Stupid People Help Us Win The Internet - Aaron Friedman
25. How To Prioritize The Long Tail With Twitter - Aaron Friedman

If you noticed an repetitive trend in this list, you’re not crazy. The bulk of the search and social columns this year were written by Kasteler and Friedman. Even better, Kasteler’s upcoming Search & Social column is all about how to promote your content socially and in search to maximize its reach. Clearly, you’ll be learning from the best!

Related Topics: About Search Engine Land | Channel: Social | Most Popular Stories | Search & Social